9.27.2015

9.07.2015

We stayed in town this Labor Day weekend. It's not a long weekend for either of us and since a big draw of backpacking is the solitude it provides, going out on a busy holiday weekend isn't very appealing to me and Barry. It seemed like the perfect time to get a little fussy in the apartment - something I hadn't done in a while. The plants were dying to be rearranged; they'd all found their way into a cluster around the windows on one wall of our apartment this summer and needed a little breathing room. Pillows, comforters, duvet covers... they all wanted to be cleaned. And a few things needed to find their way out of the apartment. After several hours of cleaning, moving things around, and editing in the closet, I'm feeling really comfy and satisfied. But I'm a little worried that I still have another weekend day ahead of my (my work weekend being Sunday/Monday) without a hike and breath-taking view in my future. Tonight's to-do: make a list of evening and weekend activities that don't involve backpacking to get me through the Fall and Winter.

9.06.2015

The forest fires have plagued the Pacific Northwest this summer thwarted our plans to get to Mt. Adams again before the summer's end. Instead, we found a hike on Mt. Hood that promised great views of ice caves just below the peak of the mountain. And although the views were smoke-filled, they were still spectacular. I'll admit, though, that this was not my finest backpacking trip. The hike up was hard for me. I felt old. I felt fat. I felt tired. I felt weak. These are all things that I feel to varying degrees at times, but usually I don't feel them all at once with the intensity that I felt them on our way to our campsite. Finally setting up our tent was such a relief. Sleep was so good. Laying in the tent and reading for hours the following morning while the sun rose was pretty damn good. And the hike out was just fine.